The Friends of Erlestoke Prison is a registered charity established in 2011 supporting rehabilitation for prisoners at HMP Erlestoke with the ultimate aim of reducing reoffending on release. It is known that prisoners who maintain contact with family and friends during custody have a reduced risk of reoffending.
Our transport scheme was established in order to give lifts to loved ones of prisoners from local bus and train stations to the prison in the absence of public transport. Our volunteer drivers collect visitors from the Devizes Market place or Westbury train station and drive them to the Visitor Centre outside the prison gates at HMP Erlestoke. Following the prison visit, drivers will make the return journey to Devizes or Westbury.
In so doing the scheme supports visits for friends and families of prisoners in both a practical and financial way; without the scheme, visitors would have to pay for a taxi to take them to the prison for the last part of their journey and would not benefit from the familiar friendly face of their driver. Visits are thus not only made easier but the prospect of them is less daunting for people who may have travelled a long distance and who may therefore be encouraged to visit more frequently. It is known that prisoners who maintain strong contact with family and friends during custody are less likely to reoffend on release.
Our volunteer drivers use their own vehicles and give lifts to adult visitors or families with children. The scheme has a co-ordinator who organises the weekly rota of lifts needed. Drivers opt into the lifts they can provide on a week by week basis; no prior commitment is needed. Travel expenses can be claimed.
As the Covid-19 pandemic wanes and prison visiting restarts we need to strengthen our bank of volunteers.
If you feel fit and able to help with this valuable and rewarding work and would like to learn more please email or phone us using the details below. Please note that during the current pandemic, we have gone to great lengths to ensure the safety of our drivers and are providing infection control materials for each driver. We are unable to allow drivers with increased vulnerability to undertake this volunteering role at present and are therefore dependent on a much reduced bank of drivers who are under age 70 and with no pre-existing health conditions that may increase their vulnerability. We are very much in need of new volunteers for our scheme who are able to perform this role in the Covid-19 situation.